Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

This report reflects collaborative efforts to implement communications strategies strengthening UB’s reputation around the world and building pride in the university among key external and internal audiences. These communications efforts support university objectives focused on increasing faculty research funding; recruiting talented students, faculty and staff; building relationships with university stakeholders; and communicating university values and positions in response to issues affecting higher education nationwide.

Strengthen UB’s global reputation as one of the nation’s leading public research universities, increasing awareness and understanding of that distinction among key audiences.
Build pride, affinity and engagement among the university community in support of UB’s mission and leadership priorities.
Protect UB’s reputation and operational continuity through proactive issues management and effective crisis communications.
Support enrollment strength by increasing awareness and consideration among prospective students and families and positioning UB as an exceptional choice for talented students seeking opportunity at a leading public research university.
Advance a welcoming, inclusive and supportive university environment through communications that foster belonging and reinforce the university’s values.

FY2027 Year End Summary
Fiscal years at UB run July 1 to June 30.
Brand and Reputation
8/20/26
FY26 delivered record-breaking performance, driven by improved efficiency and expanded partnerships. With over 107M impressions of ad content, this is the strongest campaign performance on record.
News and Earned Media
8/20/26
UC’s media relations team produced and edited 77 news releases, 10 media advisories and 7 tip sheets. Unique page views for News Center content totaled 184,371. Earned media (total news placements) was at 8,232. Faculty experts were quoted in 4,820 news stories.
Impact in Action
8/20/26
Four issues of Impact in Action were deployed externally to an average of 3,905 higher ed leaders at AAU, APLU, ACE and SUNY institutions; internally to an average of 201 VPS, deans and department chairs; and via subscription to an average of 24 people. Average open rates were 40.5%, 66.8% and 61.4%, respectively, far exceeding the industry average.
The UB Effect
8/20/26
The UB Effect is a monthly digital newsletter highlighting UB’s positive impact across the region and state. Twelve issues of The UB Effect were deployed in FY 2025-26 to an audience of elected officials, business and community leaders, and internal leadership. The newsletter earned average open rates of 44.4 (external) and 74.3 (internal).
UB Homepage
8/20/26
The UB homepage and top-level web, managed by UC, serve as the gateway to the university’s online presence and highlight why we are New York’s flagship—a premier, research-intensive public university dedicated to academic excellence. This fiscal year, UB’s top-level webpage attracted 1,701,600 page views.
Social Media
8/20/26
This year, UC’s social team generated 2,047 posts on UB’s main channels, reaching 13.1 M users and producing 765,239 total engagements, including 208,195 link clicks on UB content.
UBNow
8/20/26
This year, UBNow readership remained strong with over 768,152 page views, open rate of 49.87% and a click rate of 7.08%.
Driven to Discover Podcast
8/20/26
This fiscal year, Driven to Discover produced eight episodes and achieved 2,298 downloads. In all, 29 episodes of the podcast have been produced since the show’s launch in Jan 2023, for an average download rate of 209 per episode.
True Blue
8/20/26
This quarter, the True Blue campaign website generated 15,759 page views and 93,066 web interactions. Forty True Blue content pieces (video, editorial and imagery) in UBNow generated 4,515 clicks and 5,220 page views.
Merit Pages
8/20/26
UB's Merit program continued strong this year – recognizing 11,483 UB students for their accomplishments. The student email open rate was 78%, and the student click-to-open rate was 48%, showing that they were eager to engage with the platform and its content.
Issues Management and Crisis Communications
8/20/26
UC develops internal and external communication strategies that build awareness and understanding of UB’s position on issues affecting the university. Additionally, UC delivers targeted alerts and updated information during urgent situations, whether it’s an incident on campus or severe weather that impacts university operations.